In an MBC documentary memorial special, Lee Seo-jin, who narrated the program, delivered a final farewell to the late Lee Soon-jae that brought tears.
On the 28th, MBC aired the documentary memorial special - "Actor Lee Soon-jae, I owed you so much."
The video began with a scene from May 25 of this year showing Lee Seung-hee, the head of the agency, visiting the late Lee Soon-jae lying in bed. He looked barely able to get up.
Lee Soon-jae's final work was the drama "Gaesori," in which he took the lead role after a long time and was full of enthusiasm. Even during the gruelling schedule traveling between Seoul and Geoje Island in his old age, he continued filming without showing signs of hardship, according to reports.
A popular culture figure who portrayed countless characters across more than 70 years of media. His fierce passion for acting was unmatched. An anecdote was also shared that during "Heo Jun" he lay still for 18 hours for an anatomical scene. It was said he lay all night on the cold cave floor in midwinter.
Soyeon, who performed in the play "King Lear" with him, said, "At 87 he fulfilled a dream, and seeing him excitedly rehearse believing it would be a masterpiece made me respect him," and added, "Out of the three-hour play, more than two hours were the teacher's part, and he memorized it all; even when difficult words appeared, he learned them, and he memorized lines in English too. He was truly magnificent," revealing behind-the-scenes details. She added, "He would always come at least an hour early to study, and he was the last to leave."
Jung Joon-ha also said, "He asked that the final scene could be done in order without concern; he didn't want only me to be treated specially, and I learned a lot on set." In fact, Lee Soon-jae was the first to arrive on set. Even when waiting times for filming were long, he never complained. The "Unstoppable High Kick" producer also said, "When there is a model veteran actor who plays the father figure, the overall atmosphere is better, and the teacher was like that."
Also, Lee Soon-jae once said during his life, "I feel sorry if juniors stay up all night because of me; it's a very regrettable thing and it harms the working atmosphere," and "You must work under the same conditions and the same atmosphere; you shouldn't get special treatment just because of age—it's about teamwork."
And yesterday, the 27th, was the late Lee Soon-jae's final journey. The funeral procession on the day of the send-off was handled by his university students.
At the end of the broadcast, narrator Lee Seo-jin said, "Because you gave courage and love, I was warm and happy. Teacher, I owe you so much during that time. Thank you."
And Lee Seo-jin, who traveled with him on "Grandpas Over Flowers," choked up and conveyed his sincerity to the watching audience by saying, "Teacher, I'm sorry I couldn't be with you on this trip."
[Photo] "Broadcast screen"
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